Beginning with the Five Animals Fist to Become a Saint

Chapter 740 My Lord!

The next day.

Jiang Ning pushed open the bamboo door.

Outside the door was a thick blanket of snow, a pristine white expanse.

Only the ancient well diagonally in front of us had thin wisps of mist rising from it.

Jiang Ning came to the well, picked up a bucket of well water, washed himself briefly, then shook the water off his hands and let the water run off his face.

"Next, I'll continue practicing my skills. Dongling County is currently sealed off by heavy snow, so it's safe for the time being. There's no need to go back so soon! I still have some things to take care of these next few days!"

The thought flashed through his mind, then he made a slight adjustment and closed his eyes.

In an instant, one enters one's own inner world.

Using the inner landscape to accelerate the practice of the Lingtai Cave's method of illuminating the true self was something he did every day.

Although there are no cultivation resources available now, the efficiency of training and cultivation is still quite high with the help of the inner realm.

In the blink of an eye.

Several days passed.

In the past few days, it has snowed continuously. Although the snowfall is not heavy, the entire capital city has been covered with snow.

"call--"

Jiang Ning slowly opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of stale air, and then stood quietly on the snow, letting the falling snowflakes land on his body and hair.

I quietly felt the real world around me, listening to the silent snowfall and the snowflakes falling on my body, and my drifting thoughts gradually calmed down.

These days, he spends all his time practicing the Lingtai Dongzhao Zhenwo Method.

Apart from that, they never left their homes.

He only received a few princes at home, but he firmly rejected all their attempts to recruit him.

a long time.

He slowly opened his eyes.

[Skill]: Lingtai Cave Illumination of True Self Method (Great Completion 3877/10000)

After several days of focused practice, I have made more than one-third of my progress in the Lingtai Cave Illumination of True Self Method.

He also knew that, with the current efficiency, the Lingtai Cave Illumination True Self Method could be completely perfected in no more than half a month.

Once this method is perfected, he can begin to seek a balance among the three elements of essence, energy, and spirit.

Once this balance is found, the three elements converge, and the resulting divine power reaches the first rank.

As for the next step, he didn't think it was too difficult.

His internal alchemy cultivation technique had already reached a profound and unfathomable level, allowing him to master the divine power that only those at the first rank of martial arts could acquire.

The golden mist in his dantian is a special energy that the Martial Saint named divine power.

Having had this experience, it's not difficult to get to that point.

Thinking of this, he felt a surge of excitement.

The first-grade martial arts realm, the Hunyuan Realm, is just ahead.

at this time.

rustling --

The sound of footsteps on the snow could be heard, growing louder as it approached.

A thought flashed through his mind. He closed the panel and then glanced over, where he saw the slender Qinghe wearing a bright green fur quilt.

The thick hat was placed on her head, appearing unusually large compared to her head. The brim of the hat completely covered her eyes, making it seem mismatched in size.

She walked up to Jiang Ning, lifted the hat off her head with both hands, and her pretty face was red from the cold wind she had been walking.

“My Lord!” she said respectfully to Jiang Ning, “There is a guest in the front courtyard who is a woman. She claims to know you, my Lord, and her name is Shen Mengyun.”

Shen Mengyun?
Upon hearing these three words, Jiang Ning looked surprised.

The image in his mind immediately returned to the day of the martial arts examination.

On that day, those who could participate in the martial arts examination were all prominent figures in the local prefecture, absolute prodigies, and true geniuses.

But even among geniuses, there are mountains that are even higher.

Only by conquering the high mountain on that day can one seize the title of a martial arts scholar.

Among the military graduates, there were both mediocre and outstanding individuals.

Shen Mengyun was undoubtedly an outstanding figure among the martial arts graduates, a genius among geniuses.

He was still three years away from the age limit for the Heavenly Ranking, but he had already obtained the title of Martial Scholar, and his ranking was not low, and his fame was even greater.

For a woman to achieve such success is even more difficult.

Once you truly embark on the path of martial arts, you'll realize that it's much harder for women to achieve success in martial arts compared to men.

Shen Mengyun's achievements at her age are related to her father, but they are also inseparable from her own hard work.

In the path of martial arts, personal effort is always indispensable.

No matter how talented or how many resources you have, you will never succeed if you don't work hard.

Thus, he also understood Shen Mengyun's outstanding qualities.

"Lord Marquis, would you like to see him?" Qinghe asked, looking at Jiang Ning with a thoughtful expression.

"Meet her! See why she came to see me. He and she have no connection whatsoever!" Jiang Ning said.

As soon as he finished speaking, he walked towards the front yard.

Seeing this, Qinghe quickly followed Jiang Ning's footsteps, keeping pace with him closely.

She put the hood that had been taken off her fur quilt back on.

The wide brim of the hat instantly covered her forehead and almost completely obscured her eyes.

We passed through several connecting corridors.

Upon arriving at the front yard, which was decorated with Bagua (Eight Trigrams) brick patterns, Jiang Ning immediately saw a tall woman wearing a blue fur quilt.

now.

Shen Mengyun heard the sound of snow being trampled and turned her head to see Jiang Ning walking towards her in the snow.

Although Jiang Ning was not holding an umbrella, it was as if there was an invisible wall of air around him, and the falling snowflakes avoided Jiang Ning and scattered around him.

Her white brocade robe complemented the pristine snow perfectly, creating a harmonious effect.

As she watched Jiang Ning approach, a look of amazement flashed in her eyes.

Even though she already had someone she loved, she had to admit that, throughout the capital, few could compare to Jiang Ning.

She felt that if she hadn't already fallen for someone, she would have been moved by him at this moment.

She composed herself and stopped looking at Jiang Ning's face and eyes.

"Greetings, Lord Marquis!" Shen Mengyun greeted Jiang Ning with clasped hands as he approached.

"Miss Shen!" Jiang Ning nodded slightly and asked, "May I ask what brings you here, Miss Shen?"

"Would it be convenient for you, Lord Marquis, to go out for a walk?" Shen Mengyun asked.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning glanced at her and nodded slightly.

"Let's go for a walk!"

"Thank you, Lord Marquis!" Shen Mengyun immediately cupped her hands and bowed to Jiang Ning.

next moment.

The two passed through the gate of the Imperial Preceptor's residence and came to the street outside.

The Imperial Preceptor's residence was already a quiet place with few pedestrians, and now, with the bad weather and continuous snowfall, the roads were even more deserted.

"Miss Shen, can you state your purpose here now?" Jiang Ning said calmly.

"My lord! What do you think of the Eighth Prince?" Shen Yunmeng asked tentatively.

Jiang Ning glanced at her, his tone calm: "The Eighth Prince is my good friend and also the Seventeenth Princess's brother." "Does Your Excellency know that His Majesty is currently only clinging to life?" Shen Mengyun paused, then dropped this bombshell.

"I know!" Jiang Ning nodded calmly.

Upon hearing this, Shen Mengyun looked at Jiang Ning in surprise, her eyes filled with astonishment.

She had expected Jiang Ning to be shocked by the news, but to her surprise, Jiang Ning remained calm, and his tone clearly indicated that he already knew about it.

It seems this marquis has far more information channels than I imagined!
I wonder if it came from one of the princes!

A thought flashed through Shen Mengyun's mind. She adjusted her state slightly and spoke again.

"Does Your Majesty know why His Majesty has reached this point? Is there no cure?"

“Tell me about it!” Jiang Ning said.

As they spoke, the two walked toward the quieter lakeside.

Snowflakes were falling gently overhead, and there was no one around. The lakeside in front of us was frozen over, covered with a thick layer of snow.

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, Shen Mengyun immediately spoke up.

"Eight hundred years ago, when the founding emperor established his rule over the world and the martial saint dominated the world, all the major grotto heavens and blessed lands chose to hide from the world and lie dormant. Those immortals who had lived for a long time also hid from the world and retreated into their grotto heavens."

"Now the Martial Saint's lifespan is coming to an end, and his days are numbered, but still no one dares to test his strength."

"Then the various grotto-heavens joined forces to curse and kill the Emperor."

"Faced with the combined forces of those immortals and gods, even though His Majesty is now protected by the fortune of the nation, they can still curse His Majesty to death at a certain cost."

"Now that His Majesty has been joined forces by such people, there is no way to reverse the situation, and he cannot hold out for much longer."

Upon hearing Shen Mengyun's words, Jiang Ning immediately understood.

Now I understand why Emperor Changning, despite possessing the resources of an entire nation and controlling the nine provinces, was still beyond help.

Because standing opposite Emperor Changning were ancient figures from the previous era.

Through his interactions with the Shangyang Immortal Sect and the Shangyang Inner Landscape, he became increasingly aware of the power of the previous era.

Immortals are merely the starting point above the level of immortals.

Further up, there are countless great figures.

As I learned and heard about from my visit to Shangyang Cave a few days ago.

The Venerable One of the Universe, who illuminates the past and present, allowed him to listen to the teachings of that great man of the past, from which he benefited greatly.

The Great Celestial Venerable of the Nine Netherworld Calamity Fire is an existence beyond comprehension. The mere remnants of his legacy were enough to grant him the powerful divine ability of the Heart Calamity Fire.

Even though that era experienced great upheaval and has become dust of history.

But standing opposite Emperor Changning today is a remnant of that era.

These are various grotto-heavens with profound historical and cultural heritage.

From this, he was even more incredulous at the strength of the Martial Saint.

He suppressed the remnants of an era with just his own fist.

"What do you want to say to me?" Jiang Ning asked.

Shen Mengyun said respectfully, "My lord, to be frank, it won't be long before His Majesty passes away! The fact that the successor is still undecided reveals a very clear intention: His Majesty is raising poisonous insects, wanting the princes to fight each other to determine the most capable and shrewd prince as the successor."

"I'm curious, which prince are you working for?" Jiang Ning suddenly asked.

"Your Excellency, I am the Eighth Prince's person!" Shen Mengyun said respectfully.

She knew that although the man in front of her was much younger than her, she knew even more clearly how terrifyingly powerful he was.

She knew that compared to Jiang Ning, her talent in martial arts was like a mayfly looking at the blue sky.

Throughout history, spanning over eight hundred years, no one has been able to compare with the man before me in terms of talent.

Therefore, she knew how much Jiang Ning could help his sweetheart if she could win him over.

It is even possible that the story of the founding emperor and the one who joined hands to establish the dynasty and brought peace to the thirty-six prefectures of the nine provinces for more than eight hundred years could be repeated.

"Ji Minghao?" Jiang Ning couldn't help but glance at Shen Mengyun.

"Yes, Your Excellency!" Shen Mengyun replied respectfully.

"So, General Shen is actually the Eighth Prince's backer? He's been hiding it very well!" Jiang Ning said.

"Your Excellency misunderstands!" Shen Mengyun shook her head: "I am the Eighth Prince's man, but my father is not!"

"Isn't your father?" Jiang Ning asked.

“From a rational perspective, and from my father’s perspective, supporting the Eighth Prince was a very wrong decision! Because among the princes now, the Eighth Prince is the weakest! His mother died early, and on his maternal side, there is no power to help him!” Shen Mengyun said.

Then he continued, "As for the other princes, their maternal sides have some support, either from powerful families or from the descendants of generals and ministers. It can be said that the Eighth Prince is a marginal figure among the princes, and his chances of inheriting the throne are extremely low."

“But,” Shen Mengyun looked up at Jiang Ning, “I hope that you, Lord Marquis, can help the Eighth Prince ascend the throne.”

“Give me a reason,” Jiang Ning said.

“Because of the Seventeenth Princess!” Shen Mengyun said, “I know that the Marquis is a man of great loyalty and righteousness. The Seventeenth Princess was selfless for the Marquis, so how could the Marquis abandon her and let her only brother, who shares the same father and mother, die?”

Jiang Ning said, "I will consider it!"

After saying this, Jiang Ning turned and left.

“My lord, if you are willing to help the Eighth Prince, I will do everything in my power to persuade my father to stand on the Eighth Prince’s side. If the Eighth Prince ascends the throne, my lord will have done a great service to him and will avoid a lot of trouble in the future!” Shen Mengyun said.

At this moment, Jiang Ning was also gradually moving away from the direction of the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion.

Along the way, Jiang Ning couldn't help but think of what Shen Mengyun had just said.

Although the struggle for the throne is not of great importance to him now, compared with the dangers he may face in the future, the succession to the throne is a minor matter.

Because, as Ji Mingya, as Xiao Wuque, and as that Martial Saint himself said, if he doesn't reach the level of a strongman like Xiao Wuque in the future, he will find it difficult to stay away from that kind of crisis.

Even more dangers will he face as the situation collapses after the Martial Saint passes away.

Faced with such a crisis, the struggle for the throne among the princes was a minor matter.

But he couldn't help but think of Ji Mingyue.

After spending some time with him, he could sense that the Eighth Prince Ji Minghao treated his younger sister Ji Mingyue very well.

The supplies that Ji Minghao had given him before were all thanks to Ji Mingyue.

According to his observation, Ji Mingyue only had two relatives.

One of them is the current emperor, Emperor Changning.

One of them is the Eighth Prince, Ji Minghao.

Ji Mingyue has done so much for him, how could he remain unmoved?

After thinking for a long time, he shook his head, no longer dwelling on the matter, but he already had a plan in mind.

He then climbed the steps and crossed the threshold of the Imperial Preceptor's residence.

"My lord, has that guest left?" Qinghe asked, standing in the snow.

After a short while, a thin layer of snowflakes had settled on the top of the hat.

"Let's go, you can close the door now," he said.

"Yes, Lord Marquis!" Qinghe replied, slowly closing the gate of the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion behind Jiang Ning.

Back to your own yard.

Jiang Ning entered a state of meditation once again.

A faint, shimmering light emanated from its body.

[Lingtai Cave Illumination of True Self Dharma Experience Points +9]

[Lingtai Cave Illumination of True Self Dharma Experience Points +10]

[Lingtai Cave Illumination of True Self Dharma Experience Points +9]

【.】

(End of this chapter)